Comic Book Day: Pull List for August 28th, 2013

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Ben Affleck may be the new Batman, but until someone turns the yet-to-be-made film into a comic book adaptation, then there’s nothing to fear, because you’ll always have the warm embrace of Comic Book Day to make you feel good about loving superheroes again. This week sees a bevy of brand new books hitting store shelves and the beginning of the end for DC’s “Infinity War”, which is emblematic of the summer coming to an end. But we’ll lament the inability to wantonly wear white next week; for now, let’s get to the pull list!

Top Picks

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #2 | Simon Oliver and Robbi Rodriguez

If you’re not reading Simon Oliver’s quantum crime procedural, now called FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics (formerly Collider), then you’re missing out on the start of something awesome. Only two issues in and Oliver has already established a wonderfully weird set of rules for the world of Collider. Following agents for the Federal Bureau of Physics, Oliver takes us on a time-and-space-bending trip through your typical crime story and inserts enough science-related weirdness to keep it feeling both grounded and impossible all at once. Issue two shows us just how far the rabbit hole goes, taking us to the Bubbleverse, a pocket universe that mirrors our own like a funhouse mirrors your actual physique, in order to rescue civilians from our world trapped inside. All of this, of course, is brought to life in some delightfully psychedelic artwork and dynamic layouts from Robbi Rodriguez. There’s still time to get on this train before it’s a bonafide runaway that only Denzel Washington can stop, so don’t sleep on it — head down to your local comic book shop and snag it ASAP.

Itty Bitty Hellboy #1 | Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani

All-ages comics are a tough proposition any way you slice it. Writing for kids is a skill unto itself, but writing for kids in such a way that you can let the adults in on the joke too? Well, that’s something worthy of celebration, and that’s exactly how I feel about Itty Bitty Hellboy #1 — and I’m not just saying that because we had the exclusive reveal back at C2E2. The Aw Yeah Comics! team could not have been a better choice for this family friendly fare, as they bring a tremendous amout of humor, heart and a genuine sense of play to the Hellboy universe. Issue #1 is packed to the brim with short, digestible gags that hearken back to cartoon strips like Peanuts or Foxtrot in how they flow narratively. The artwork pops off the page and does a bang-up job of brightening up Hellboy’s often dark world. Fans of Mike Mignola’s sprawling universe and Hellboy fans-in-training alike will find plenty to love about this series, so do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You’ll be smiling all the way through next Wednesday.

Although the issue doesn’t hit stands until September 4th, Marvel was kind enough to let us review this bad boy early.

You knew that Marvel was cookin’ up something special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of everyone’s favorite band of mutant hellraisers, but Battle of the Atom looks like the start of something special, as Brian Michael Bendis begins to condense the X-Men franchise’s many titles into a single crossover event. The first few pages may seem a little overly introductory, like a tutorial level for X-Men comics, but it’s to Bendis’ credit that he slowly but surely introduces different facets of the multi-headed hydra that the franchise has become in a way that doesn’t feel forced. Very quickly, we’re introduced to all the characters we need to know, the rivalry between the two mutant schools and the fact that time travel is going to play a big part. You may find yourself missing characters unique to Brian Wood’s X-Men or Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men, but the beauty of Bendis’ streamlined approach is a very clean, relatively uncluttered kickoff to a major crossover event, even if it does feel a little too explanatory at times.

Frank Cho isn’t at his Savage Wolverine best here, but his art style suits the X-Men well and makes for a visually exciting, well laid out issue and some awesome effects shots. Fortunately, Stuart Immonen steps in to play clean-up with fill-in art for the issue’s darker, moodier character moments. It’s a powerful one-two combo, artistically speaking. Most of all, this is a rollicking, humorous issue that is clearly meant as a hopping-on point for readers old and new. If Bendis and Cho continue to build on the solid foundation they’ve laid in issue one, then X-Men fans will have plenty of reasons to celebrate this fall.